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Cooking in cast iron

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Clay Q
Clay Q Posts: 4,486
in EggHead Forum
I'm doing more cooking in iron and having fun as I go.  There is a lot of history with American cooking using cast iron.  Just got a new cookbook by Lodge, "Cast Iron Nation", American cooking from coast to coast.  I'm inspired.  Recently made Sauerkraut dinner in the egg including spoon drop dumplings.  Results.... some of the best tasting pulled pork I ever cooked.  Home made kraut and dumplings turned out great as well.  
Over the years I get into one thing and then another but cast iron has always been apart of my cooking technique, has been long before I got my eggs.  The beauty is that cast iron and the egg are perfect companions for cooking traditional foods such as Sauerkraut dinner.  This 10.5 pound pork butt seared and braised up beautifully.  Take a look....    
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  • smbishop
    smbishop Posts: 3,053
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    Love Cast Iron cooking.  My grates are CI, my main frying pan in the house is CI, my Dutch oven is CI, etc.  I checked out the book on Amazon, the Glazed Ham Balls look interesting!
    Southlake, TX and Cowhouse Creek - King, TX.  2 Large, 1 Small and a lot of Eggcessories.
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  • jaydub58
    jaydub58 Posts: 2,167
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    @Clay Q, it's always a pleasure to read about what you are doing currently.
    You have been great about sharing pictures and procedures for a long time.
    Please keep it up!  
    John in the Willamette Valley of Oregon
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  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,164
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    If you take good care of it.......then it will take good care of you. Cast Iron rocks!
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
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  • TN_Egger
    TN_Egger Posts: 1,120
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    looks great.  would you mind sharing the recipe/method?
    Signal Mountain, TN
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  • blasting
    blasting Posts: 6,262
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    Love cast iron.  Blackstone has cut into my usage a little, but cast iron is authentic, and still trumps stainless steel all day long imho.

    Phoenix 
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
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    Love CI. Works great and Wagner/Griswold is dirt cheap around here.

    But what is "sauerkraut dinner"?

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    edited November 2015
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    I too, am a fan.  Found a Raichlen Tuscan grill to cook over fire at the campground with cast iron and carbon steel. 

    Also stumbled on this Vintage CI cookbook at TJ Maxx on clearance.  Covers Griswold and Wags, neat clips of old advertising, old and new recipes.  A great book IMO.
    http://www.amazon.com/Griswold-Wagner-Cast-Iron-Cookbook/dp/1602398038/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1448850078&sr=8-18&keywords=cast+iron+cookbook
    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

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  • Clay Q
    Clay Q Posts: 4,486
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    Carolina Q, Anyone in Wisconsin knows what Sauerkraut Dinner is...if over the age of 50, he he.  Basic dinner of braised fresh pork or pork based sausage with the addition of kraut.  If the cook was a GOOD cook you get  dumplings which are steamed in the meat and kraut juices just before serving.  The pork could be anything from ribs to chops to butt to kielbasa.  Sear the meat then slow braise until fork tender.  Add kraut and cook 30 min. then add dumplings and cook 15 min.   A one pot comfort food dinner.  I cooked the kraut and dumplings in a separate enameled cast iron pot because there was little room available in the Dutch oven with a 10.5 pound butt.   A two pot dinner this time, ha ha.  Anyway, the dinner was fantastic.  Warms me up inside.  The dumplings are like cake, a real treat when made right.  I grew up on this...and I make it better than my family ever did.  (I got the egg advantage)
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  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
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    Clay Q said:
    Carolina Q, Anyone in Wisconsin knows what Sauerkraut Dinner is...if over the age of 50, he he.  Basic dinner of braised fresh pork or pork based sausage with the addition of kraut.  If the cook was a GOOD cook you get  dumplings which are steamed in the meat and kraut juices just before serving.  The pork could be anything from ribs to chops to butt to kielbasa.  Sear the meat then slow braise until fork tender.  Add kraut and cook 30 min. then add dumplings and cook 15 min.   A one pot comfort food dinner.  I cooked the kraut and dumplings in a separate enameled cast iron pot because there was little room available in the Dutch oven with a 10.5 pound butt.   A two pot dinner this time, ha ha.  Anyway, the dinner was fantastic.  Warms me up inside.  The dumplings are like cake, a real treat when made right.  I grew up on this...and I make it better than my family ever did.  (I got the egg advantage)
    That right there is comfort food. I could use a plate full of that right now.
    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
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  • bcsnave
    bcsnave Posts: 1,009
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    @Clay Q  I grew up in Racine...and just turned 56 yesterday.....used to go to the Krautfest in Franksville (home of Franks Kraut)..so heck yes I know what kraut dinner is...

    The Dude..a Mini and a Large Egg..a DigiQ DX (BGE Green)..some Cast Iron...a Thermapen.............and an Ol' Fashion

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    Glenbeulah, WI

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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
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    Cook with CI routinely.  That and copper can't be beat!
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • sctdg
    sctdg Posts: 301
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    Got a full set of Griswald Hearthstone given to me in in the 70's that I have used through the years and have built up a nice collection of Le Creuset enameled also.Nothing better than cast iron for holding heat and holding it evenly .Got a Nuwave Titanium PIC a couple of months ago and my cast iron works excellent on it . My small Griswald fry pan is great for eggs in the AM and has non stick qualities that works as good or better than most non stick pans on the market today .With the Nuwave I can use my cast iron pots like a slow cooker and dial temp down to right where I want it within 5 degrees using digital readout .
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  • ruger35
    ruger35 Posts: 24
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    Carolina Q said:
    Love CI. Works great and Wagner/Griswold is dirt cheap around here.

    But what is "sauerkraut dinner"?
    If it is dirt cheap please scrounge me up some and I'll gladly send funds your way! Everyone down here hoards CI.
    Baton Rouge, LA
    Forever LSU!
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  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
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    ruger35 said:
    Carolina Q said:
    Love CI. Works great and Wagner/Griswold is dirt cheap around here.

    But what is "sauerkraut dinner"?
    If it is dirt cheap please scrounge me up some and I'll gladly send funds your way! Everyone down here hoards CI.
    $5 pan, $20 to ship.  No bueno.
    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

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  • ruger35
    ruger35 Posts: 24
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    I've only found one skillet around these parts and they wanted $500+.
    Baton Rouge, LA
    Forever LSU!
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  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
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    Y'all got some good crack in Baton Rouge.  
    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

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  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    edited November 2015
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    @ruger35,
    I've found some nice pieces for reasonable, bellow book prices, on fleabay.  I took a gamble on the rusty, crusty ones, and it payed off.  A #3 Griswold skillet, 12" Chefs skillet, 16" Griswold griddle, 12" Griswold griddle, #10 Griswold skillet, that I can recall.

    Found some good deals on craigslist too.  Griswold WI, wagner #8 skillet, Old Lodge #12 DO, several old Le Creuset pieces like new condition.  

    Make sure you buy from a collector, who knows how to ship.  Don't hesitate to ask the seller questions.  CI can break or crack easily if not shipped properly.  
    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

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  • Clay Q
    Clay Q Posts: 4,486
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    Focker, those are some great scores on cast iron and good tips about buying.  Santa is bringing me a Lodge 9 qt. Dutch oven with a ham for Christmas.  
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  • Clay Q
    Clay Q Posts: 4,486
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    @bcsnave, Happy Birthday.  The soil is rich and black down low in Franksville- perfect for cabbage.  The kraut I used was home made by my buddy near Green Bay and I'm not going to turn him down when he offers it, ha ha.  It's guuud. 
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  • ruger35
    ruger35 Posts: 24
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    I'm always just worried about authenticity on ebay. May have to go that route though.
    Baton Rouge, LA
    Forever LSU!
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    edited November 2015
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    Focker said:

    $5 pan, $20 to ship.  No bueno.
    LOL, it ain't THAT cheap. Yard sales might be, but I rarely do those. Mostly antique shops. I haven't looked in a while, but a Wagner skillet is typically $15-20, Griswold a bit more. Already seasoned too. I have more Wagner than Gris, but I'm fine with either. I don't buy to collect, I buy 'em to cook in! Over 20 pieces so far. I guess that means I DO collect. =) I just don't care if they are "collectible".

    Best deal so far, 11 piece Le Creuset set... $50. From an ad in the local paper, pre-CL.


    Thanks for the lesson, Clay. Don't think I've ever even BEEN to Wisconsin. Sounds like a delicious dinner though. 

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • smbishop
    smbishop Posts: 3,053
    edited November 2015
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    Clay Q said:
    Carolina Q, Anyone in Wisconsin knows what Sauerkraut Dinner is...if over the age of 50, he he.  Basic dinner of braised fresh pork or pork based sausage with the addition of kraut.  If the cook was a GOOD cook you get  dumplings which are steamed in the meat and kraut juices just before serving.  The pork could be anything from ribs to chops to butt to kielbasa.  Sear the meat then slow braise until fork tender.  Add kraut and cook 30 min. then add dumplings and cook 15 min.   A one pot comfort food dinner.  I cooked the kraut and dumplings in a separate enameled cast iron pot because there was little room available in the Dutch oven with a 10.5 pound butt.   A two pot dinner this time, ha ha.  Anyway, the dinner was fantastic.  Warms me up inside.  The dumplings are like cake, a real treat when made right.  I grew up on this...and I make it better than my family ever did.  (I got the egg advantage)
    @Clay Q 
    I was born in Wisconsin and I am over 50, but my Minnesota born parents moved me to Washington St. before I could discover this meal.  Do you have any detailed recipes you can recommend?  I feel a need to make this meal!
    Southlake, TX and Cowhouse Creek - King, TX.  2 Large, 1 Small and a lot of Eggcessories.
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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
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    Contrary to popular belief, cast iron does not heat "evenly".  It does heat food evenly if it is heated evenly, but on a stove top burner, it is actually the worst outside some vessel that is ceramic.  Not that this is a bad or good thing, just a characteristic of iron.  But I hear it often.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,767
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    nolaegghead said:
    Contrary to popular belief, cast iron does not heat "evenly".  It does heat food evenly if it is heated evenly, but on a stove top burner, it is actually the worst outside some vessel that is ceramic.  Not that this is a bad or good thing, just a characteristic of iron.  But I hear it often.
    tin lined copper pot is my chowder pot or gumbo pot because it just makes the roux simpler. have the lecrueset and even on my simmer plate it doesnt compete with the copper pot. now the lecrueset in the oven works great but on the egg its a real waste of money compared to the cheaper options. thick aluminum for the burners, mine are maybe from the 40's, wooden handles, and microscopic leaks that makes a sizzle sound when cooking in them. seems everyone threw away their aluminum pots =)
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
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    @fishlessman - I hear ya.  we have a bunch of fancy stuff but we still use our old aluminum heavy pots.  Aluminum is a much better conductor of cast iron.  Cast iron, by virtue of superior mass, in most cases, holds more heat, but it doesn't flow evenly hence the practice of heating in an oven or a banjo burner with even fire.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    edited December 2015
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    @Clay Q ,
    I've got a nice, recently restored, unmarked Wagner 8" No. 5 pan from the 50s before the Griswold and Wagner merge, laying around somewhere that's yours if you give me your addy.  All I ask my friend, is that you don't hack the handle off.    
    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

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